The news that RTÉ would no longer be producing programmes for young people came abruptly on Wednesday evening.

“We were told very coldly at half past five by a team of men in suits that the department was closing down in three weeks’ time,” says one employee who asked not to be named.

“Anyone who is on contract was told their job was gone. Staff employees would be redeployed within the company. Everyone was devastated and a lot of people were in tears.”

An estimated 15 people - presenters, researchers, programme assistants and puppeteers - are set to have their contracts terminated in the weeks before Christmas. Eleven staff will be redeployed and eight will remain to carry out residual functions, such as commissioning, promotion and post-production.

Dedicated apps

The department produces programmes for the children’s and young people’s strands that run every day from 7am to early evening on RTÉ2, as well as on its online player services and dedicated apps.

While a lot of programming is bought-in or independently commissioned, the in-house department is responsible for some of the key elements which knit it all together and help differentiate RTÉ from its competitors, including Nickelodeon, Disney and CBBC.

Later on Wednesday, the broadcaster issued a statement confirming the news. “Recognising the challenging financial environment, and so as to achieve stronger efficiencies and value for money, RTÉ is to make changes to how it produces young people’s programmes,” it said.

“After an examination of all output, a decision has been made to commission all young people’s programmes from the independent sector, enabling RTÉ to meet its statutory committed spend in the sector and reducing operating costs internally.

“RTÉ is not reducing its commitment to young people’s programmes, nor is it reducing spend.”

However, a spokesperson for RTÉ subsequently acknowledged the abrupt shutdown of the department meant there would be gaps in its schedule in 2017.

Add to this the fact the youth strand Two Tube was “temporarily” suspended in May and won’t now be returning.

Several months

It will take several months, at least, before the process of commissioning and producing programmes from the independent sector leads to results on screen.

“In reality, they’ll be commissioning in 2017 for 2018,” said one insider.

RTÉ director-general Dee Forbes told an Oireachtas committee this week that the broadcaster would continue to reduce costs, but that “it does not have enough resources to remain competitive or, in the longer term, relevant, let alone be the engine that drives the broader Irish creative economy”.

Forbes is seeking a better return from the licence fee, ideally through reviving the proposal for a universal broadcasting charge, but at the very least from a crackdown on licence fee evaders.

Meanwhile, the organisation needs to be made fit for purpose in a radically transformed media environment.

While the cost per hour of independently produced programming may not necessarily be any lower than the in-house equivalent, outsourcing production lowers the core staff payroll and other overheads.

With RTÉ planning to sell of a chunk of its Montrose campus in Dublin 4 in order to finance capital investment, further cuts in employee numbers can be expected.

“The saving is in overheads in Montrose. It’s the cull of people rather than programmes,” says the employee in the young people’s department, who believes the department was an easy first target because “it doesn’t bring in revenue. But there’s a huge raft of changes coming. RTÉ is looking to become an independent commissioning house.”

“Everyone goes the extra mile in here. We work on tiny budgets with amazingly talented people. It’s such a shame because they won’t be able to replicate that energy and passion in the independent sector.”

Two Tube

Stephen Byrne was a presenter on young people's TV for eight years up until Two Tube ended in May. He's now making documentaries and standalone programmes.

Having come up through the ranks, Byrne wonders whether the same opportunities will exist in the future.

“When you walked into that department, you saw passion, he says. “These people know kids. They made me what I am on screen.

“There won’t be the same opportunity now for people like myself. I had kind of stepped out of it, but it was still a really upsetting day, people getting such short notice just before Christmas.”